Would Kade say yes? Was Kade gay? Keaton had found that a lot of the residents of Brac Village were, but he wasn’t going to assume that Kade was just because he hanging out with Keaton.
Keaton’s eyes snapped to the door when Oliver walked in. The Goth man was his only employee. Oliver was a great help, but he really wished it was the man’s day off. He wanted all of Kade’s time to himself.
Again, that feeling surprised him. Oliver walked behind the counter and clocked in, yawning loudly.
“Not enough sleep?” Keaton asked.
Oliver took a seat on the small wooden stool behind the counter. “I was up half the night playing with Xavier.” Placing one arm on the counter, Oliver rested his head.
Keaton had met Xavier when the mayor and his husband had come in to check the place out when Keaton first opened. The mayor’s grandson had been in a stroller. There was no way Keaton was going to tell Maverick Brac that a leather-wearing biker man so didn’t look right pushing a stroller.
Thankfully that day, Keaton’s buffer was in proper working order. He left Oliver to his snoozing as he turned back toward Kade. Keaton’s brows furrowed when he noticed the man was gone. His heart sank. Not knowing anything about the guy, Keaton was pretty sure he wouldn’t see the man again.
* * * *
As badly as Kade had wanted to stay, he needed to find work. If he hadn’t left when he did, Kade would have never left. Pausing on the street, Kade let out a frustrated breath. Who was he fooling? No one was going to hire him. Even if they looked past his record, he had no skills.
Now that he had a mate, Kade knew he had to ask Maverick for a business loan. Pride be damned. Keaton was his responsibility and Kade refused to fail the sweet and innocent man.
“Kade, wait!”
Kade pivoted to see Keaton running down the street, his blond hair flowing around his face in a mess as he hurried toward him. God, Kade wanted to open his arms and welcome his mate. Instead, he shoved his hands in his front pockets and stood there in front of the antique store.
“Why did you leave like that?” Keaton asked, panting as he brushed his hair from his face. He missed a piece of hair and Kade’s fingers were itching to reach out and clear the strands from Keaton’s neck.
“You have work to get done and I have things I have to take care of.” For both of us.
“Can we…I just wanted to know…” Keaton bit his bottom lip and then the sweetest smile crossed his face, making Kade ache inside. “Can we be friends?”
Kade was stunned. After the moody way he had acted in the shop, he would have thought that Keaton would be glad he had left. “Friends?”
With fascination, Kade watched as Keaton pulled a coated rubber band from his pocket and began to wrap his hair in a strange and messy ponytail. “Yeah, you know, when two guys hang out, do dorky things together, and laugh at the stupid things we’ve done or are doing.”
How naïve was this guy? Maybe Kade had been around too many hardened criminals and had forgotten that there were still some good people in the world. He was looking right at one who was lightening his heart. If they were friends, then the pressure would be taken off of him. Kade wanted to get his life together before he claimed Keaton.
He just wasn’t at a stage in his life where he could care for the man.
“Friends sounds good.” Kade hesitated and then pulled his hand from his pocket, brushing the hair from Keaton’s neck. The guy didn’t pull away or say anything. Kade quickly moved his arm away when Keaton leaned into his hand.
“So, do you want to hang out later?”
Kade chuckled. The man was persistent. He had a feeling that Keaton was going to have a dramatic impact on his life. “Sure. I’ll come back by when I’m finished with my errands.”
Keaton started walking backward. “I’ll be in the hut.” He chucked a thumb over his shoulder. “Don’t stand me up, Kade.”
He shivered. Once again his mate had called him Kide. He had to forcefully push his feet in the opposite direction, away from his mate. Keaton wasn’t making much of an effort to leave. His steps were slow, his sapphire eyes sparkling with laughter.
With the greatest effort he had ever exerted, Kade turned and began walking toward the diner. He had no way out to the Den. He was hoping Cody would call Maverick for him. As much as things had changed in the village, some things were still the same. The diner was one of them.
Kade knew the timber wolf was still part owner. There was no way he had sold his half. Grabbing the handle, Kade walked inside, smiling when he saw that the place looked as he remembered it. Some things were new, but it was like walking into his past.
“Kade,” Cody called out from behind the counter. “Bishop told me you were home.”
Grabbing a seat at one of the stools, Kade smiled at the familiar face. “I see you still haven’t aged a day.”
Cody grinned. “Neither have you.” The man set a mug in front of Kade and poured him a full cup of coffee. “How are things going for you?” he asked in a more serious tone, setting the carafe back on the burner. “Have you settled in?”
Not really. Kade felt like a stranger, and it was bizarre having his freedom after being locked up for so long. He still kept waiting to hear the sound of a cell door clanging shut or one of the guards waking him up for roll call and chow. Kade still washed up at the bathroom sink at Bishop’s instead of taking a full shower.
Kade had gone to prison for murder.
